The Verge Of Chaos
by cmort
Summary: A world is doomed and an empire is under attack, but it all starts with one man. Can he defend the imperium or will he fall to the countless enemies that would see it destroyed? Read and see.
1. The Verge Of Chaos

"Put the video feed on the main screen; I want to see what kind of explosion a corrupted world will make." The bondsmen nodded as they set about the task, their fingers flying over the luminescent runes that inscribed the keypad.  
>"Missile is being prepped. Captain, engineering is asking if they have your final consent. Do we have your consent?" The captain didn't hesitate,<br>"You have it helmsman."  
>As soon as consent was given the helmsman's hands swept over the runes, creating a strange pattern of shadows that played over the bridge.<br>Each button that was pressed turned the cool blue glow of the runes into a burning orange.  
>"Finalising the calculations captain; Missile launch in three minutes."<br>"Understood." He replied.  
>With the exchange between the captain and the helmsman now over; the bridge crew had turned to face the countdown that was next to the screen, their faces a mask that hid anticipation.<br>-2:27 minutes to go-  
>A sudden whine from the communications desk broke the silence. "Sir, reports from the surface indicate that the governor's citadel has been breached and the governor is requesting rescue for him and his family. What are your orders?"<br>The captain did not even glance at the communications officer,  
>"Did the governor give coordinates for the rescue?" He asked quietly.<br>The officer turned back to the screen.  
>"Yes. Do you want to power up the teleport chamber?"<br>The captain bowed his head, and seemed to stay frozen in that pose for hours.  
>"No," he said at last. "At this point we have to assume the worst has already happened. Block all communication with the planet, and prepare for attack."<br>The crew glanced at each other, unsure that they had heard correctly.  
>Eventually they turned to the bondsman, selecting him to question the still hunched captain.<br>"What attack, sir?"  
>The captain glanced at the bondsman, his eyes narrow and his lips grim.<br>"The attack, bondsman. That the chaos' forces will surely launch on this ship when they realise their fate."  
>Again the crew was puzzled by the information. The bondsman once again turned to the captain.<br>"But sir, we are over twenty-thousand miles away. How would the chaos launch an assault on such a distant target?"  
>-1:11 minutes to go-<br>This time the captain's lips were spread into a large smile.  
>"I'm not sure, bondsman. But I am sure they will find a way."<br>The Crew still had questions for the captain, but before they could ask, a wailing alarm answered them.  
>-0:55 minutes to go-<br>"Sir! Multiple gunships have left the planet and are heading towards us. Anti-air batteries are responding but it might not be enough. Orders sir?"  
>As he spoke the steady thump of machine gun fire reverberated through the ship, and began battering the incoming ships.<br>The captain was on his feet, shouting orders between the low thumps of the guns.  
>"Bring the reactor to full charge, I want starboard and port lasers ready to fire! Disengage torpedo safeties, load torpedo bay one through five and prepare to repel all borders."<br>Soon the bridge was a maelstrom of activity, as each man leapt to the task and orders were relayed through the intercom. In all the rapid movement and sound a message was lost, the message said: "This is imperial shuttle Typhon. We are currently in possession of an extremely important asset. The enemy is closing in, and we are unable to hold them off. Time is of the essence captain, we need your help. Concentrate your fire on the ships around us and prepare a hangar, the space marines are landing." None of the message was heard by any of the crew, even if they had listened, it was hard to understand through all the explosions and gunfire.  
>Soon a full alarm was blaring throughout the ship, and multiple strands of chatter could be heard through the comms, as each unit confirmed its acquisition and understanding of the orders. Urgent red lights flashed in every corridor, an urgent message that all understood: we are under attack, prepare for battle, prepare for death.<p> 


	2. The Verge Of Chaos: Edley

Two months before...  
>"Sir, Cruiser 'Orion' is requesting permission to enter the system; I'm going to turn them over to automatic for the coordinates."<br>The senior officer, who wore an oily red cloak over his mechanical body, nodded as he jotted down the time of arrival into his log.  
>"Very well," he said with a strained hydraulic drawl. "Alert me If any 'complications' arise."<br>"Aye Aye Sir." Reaching across the squat machine that sat in front of him, he pressed a small orange button that made the screen glow green for a moment, and finally flash white as the automatic systems took over.

"Ship...  
>'Orion' Welcome to planet...<br>Corvid.  
>We hope you enjoy your stay on our world, with Its many fine pieces of...<br>Not entered.  
>Please move your ship to the issued coordinates or be...<br>Vaporised."  
>The last words were spoken with absolute certainty, and no one aboard the ship doubted their commitment.<br>"Copy that," replied the communications officer. "Moving to coordinates now."  
>Jabbing a few keys on the computer beside him; he quickly inputed the coordinates and got the ship on the way.<br>As the engines cycled from orange to a brilliant white, Communications officer Edley glanced around at the others on the bridge.  
>Peering past all the deep shadows, and blue lighting that cast a soft haze over the instruments, he could make out the form of Navigations officer Preston, who ambled through the tangle of pipes and wires that showed the recent battle.<br>"What are you looking for Preston?" Edley inquired, craning his neck In a gesture of apparent clairvoyance. Preston turned his head towards Edley, one eye showing bright wit, another an eerie red glow that cast the rest of his otherwise good-natured face In a sinister red tint.  
>"Anything that isn't broken, Edley. We need to find a way of getting communications between the bridge and the other systems working again."<br>Whilst he was speaking he had dropped to his knees, moving his hands around the floor, following wires to their end. With his deft fingers he split wires apart, carefully following them down to any break In the wire and patching them where he could. It was a back breaking and monotonous task that Edley did not envy.  
>"Why do they make you do this, Preston? Don't we have engineers for this?" Preston's real eye squinted as he recalled the moments of the battle. For a moment he was silent, unmoving.<br>"We used to." Was all he could say.  
>"At least we live to remember them." Edley said.<br>"They're so many battles and so many lost men, how many can you remember?"  
>"Enough of them."<br>Preston nodded, the answer was acceptable. "Hey, Edley can you find me some powercells? I need to test the connection between these wires."  
>"Sure." Picking his way through the tangle, he made It out of the bridge and into the corridor.<br>Moving through the smoke-stained corridors and burnt out hatches, his thoughts turned back to the battle that had nearly claimed him; and what It meant If It had. Would anyone have thought to remember him? He claimed to remember enough of them, but there were so many to remember. It was all too easy to let one slip away. His pondering began to deepen as his fingers began tracing the wall. Now In a slow trance he began to weave his fingers over the metal walls, caressing It differently where fire had left a deformity or a shot had been too accurate.  
>"This Is where It got us." He mumbled to himself, quite unaware of the people forcing their way past him. "And this Is where we ran." His fingers curled gently as he grasped at a door-handle that had melted away. Still running his fingers over the wall, the palms of his hands beginning to sweat, he was seeing It all, reliving It all.<br>"We fled from the blaze to this corridor, but we couldn't stop. We needed to get to the bridge, call for help." His fingers now writhed over the walls, sweat beading on his face and neck.  
>Pushing past the crewmen, his hand came to a spot and wrenched him back, causing his head to roll on his shoulders and stare at the spot...<br>"This Is where they died." Screams suddenly ripped through his body and tore his soul from Its bodily anchor, flinging him into the wall behind him. As he slowly sank down the wall, his eyes watched the scene unfold.  
>"Keep going dammit, we're nearly through!" The group of five pushed as one, causing the surrounding wreckage to groan a little and then settle once more.<br>"No! Once more. And for the love of the emperor, give it everything! One...Two...Three!  
>Great screaming sounds of metal came from the tortured wreckage.<br>"Its giving way!"  
>"Shut the hell up, and push!"<br>"The fires coming!"  
>None of them needed to be told. Already they could feel the heat on their backs as though daemons cooked them for their feast.<br>"Sir, the metals getting pretty hot. Maybe we shouldn't have come down a place were we can't escape, Sir." He finished, a hint of sarcasm on his tongue.  
>Before Lukile could reply, there was a ripple In the walls and floor, everyone froze. Lukile looked back at the sarcastic little shit.<br>"Do you hear that?" The man nodded, with a glance behind him. "That means that we've got about two minutes before we all get fried. So I suggest you hurry up and dig you son of a bitch!" Moving quickly, they all set to work again.  
>Their hands were deeply cut and blood had become smeared all over the wreckage as they worked. Finally they managed to create a hole that opened into a crawlspace big enough to get through the debris.<br>"Sir, the metals really starting to get hot now!"  
>"Then I guess we should leave before it melts!" Grabbing the first bundle of cloth he could reach, he began to shove It through the hole.<p>

Grasping the red hot metal was torture, every movement became a battle of wills as the soaring heat, combined with the stench of boiling blood and charred flesh, flayed his senses and scorched his nerves. Already the distance seemed impossible; he had to stop, go back, and find some other way.  
>"By the emperor! Lookout Edley!" Unbeknownst to Edley the crewmen had decided not waste time getting out of the fire. They had crawled behind Edley, suffering the burns and the blood that he still suffered, and one of them was now In trouble.<br>"Who Is It?" Screamed Edley.  
>"It's Radas," replied Lukile, "something must have fallen on him."<br>"What?"  
>Lukile looked behind him, where his eyes were met with others. Other eyes that screamed and wept in silent, pleading, pain as the metal continued to melt over them, fusing their faces to their bodies, encasing them in a tomb of agony.<br>Silently, and without a thought about the pain, Lukile continued to crawl.  
>Edley's problems continued to grow, the crawlspace had begun to fill with a thick, cloying, smoke, threatening to suffocate him even as he neared relative safety.<br>"Move faster Lukile, I don't want to be the only one who burns to death at the bridge."  
>Still clawing his way out of the debris, he began to see dark shapes at the corner of his eyes.<br>"The smoke Is getting really bad, Edley. I can barely see!"  
>"I'm nearly out! I can see the exit."<br>Bursting out of the long, horizontal, tube, was the best feeling In the universe.  
>Crumpling against the far wall was the second best feeling.<br>Watching Lukile was the worst.

Dammit Edley, you couldn't have moved a bit faster could you? It didn't matter for the others but by the Emperor, I shouldn't go out like this.  
>"Lukile, where are you?"<br>The sound of Edley's voice was only a foot away; Coming from the opening In the tunnel.  
>I guess we all gotta die of something. Looking down at his foot, he could see the way the metal had dripped down onto his leg, forming a tight seal around It. Trying to pull his leg out had done nothing, and now the metal above him was slowly buckling, coming closer and closer towards him.<br>"Edley, are you there?"  
>The metal was on his thigh now and already his skin was seared black by the intense heat. When he spoke his words did not shake.<br>"Edley? Please hear me."  
>It was on his lower back now. Pretty soon, It would reach his head.<p>

"Lukile, where are you?" Edley was worried. Lukile must have been only seconds behind him.  
>Please have gotten out. Edley moved towards the debris and looked inside. What he was met with was not a pleasant sight. "By the Emperor..." Peering through the debris, he saw the form of Lukile, only now it looked more like a statue of Lukile. Liquid metal had formed a carapace over Lukile's torso, effectively sealing him to the ship. His hands and head stayed perfectly still, as the metal continued to drip down onto him, cementing him even more in his tomb. Higher and higher it grew, reaching the bottom of his neck, scalding the flesh and sending new waves of nausea through Edley when the scent reached him. All through this, Lukile's eyes had stayed locked on Edley's. Finally the metal began to seep over his shoulders, as the vast pools on his back overflowed. Just above him the debris began to buckle and bend. A drip of metal anointed his forehead, bringing with it an avalanche of girders and wiring.<br>Edley was alone. Alone aboard a ship that was being torn apart by rebels. But he could stop that, oh yes he could! He would show those bastards! One thing first, they needed it, he needed it. He fell on his knees and prayed. "By the power of the Emperor, may you find peace and absolution for anything you may have done. May you find sanctuary from the pain you suffered today, and all days. In the name of the Emperor, may you find peace." With the final words done, Edley felt he could leave them for the few moments he needed to save them all. "I'll come back, and I'll get you out!" He ran towards the bridge, skirting around any other debris that had fallen from the ceiling. Running through the open door, he immediately went to the communications console and hammered in the access code. "This is the cruiser 'Orion'," he yelled into the headset. "Currently broadcasting on an open frequency to all Imperium ships in the sector. We are under attack and need immediate rescue. Can anyone hear me?" Edley waited with the headset to his ear, listening through the static for any response. He tried broadcasting again; "This is the cruiser 'Orion' we are under attack, help us." Only static answered him. Maybe the signal's too weak, he thought desperately. He began searching the nearby stations, hoping to find some way to make himself heard. Passing one station, he saw that the rebel ships were targeting the bridge. So someone heard me, he thought.  
>His frantic searching turned up nothing, and he was forced to watch as the targeting indicator got smaller and smaller. They won't waste ammo, he thought, they're going to do this clean. The first ship obviously couldn't wait. Bright traces of light cut through space, trailing just to the left of the bridge, detonating something or other. The next were equally ambitious, firing off bolt after bolt of laser fire into the ship, carving deep lines of fire into the hull. Each ship began firing now, deciding that ammo was a commodity to be wasted. Desperation, already deep in him, begun to spiral out of control. "This is the 'Orion.' Somebody help us!" The echoes bounced from wall to wall, but they didn't make it out the hall before they were joined by the sweetest of choruses: "This is the battleship 'Shield of Terra.' We have your location mapped. Standby for rescue." Edley stared in amazement as a hole in space appeared next to the 'Orion' and from it appeared the largest warship he had ever seen. It was over ten kilometres long, with gun turrets and torpedo hatches bristling from every conceivable space. Even as the rebel ships turned to engage the new threat they were swept away by the power of the ship. Lasers, bullets and missiles raced between the ships, as they engaged in what would be known as the shortest rebellion ever. Each shot that connected with a rebel ship blew it apart, fire spouted from ugly wounds on each hit and shattered debris spread from every new salvo. As every rebel ship was systematically destroyed, Edley felt himself become more more detached from the world. Suddenly he was no longer standing on the bridge of a ship that was burning all around him, now he was standing in a hallway, watching the crew go past.<p>

"Edley, are you alright?"  
>"What?" he said, blinking. "Yes I'm fine."<br>"Good," said Preston. "Because the Captain wants us on the bridge right now. Something is happening."  
>Edley nodded. As he turned to follow Preston back to the bridge, he couldn't help but look at his hand, and marvel at the burns.<p>

Dun, dun, dun!  
>What do you think will happen next? Find out soon, and don't forget to review ;)<p> 


End file.
